Improvement in cultivators



2 Sheets-Sheet G BIRD.

Gultvator. ',No. 101,216. Patented March 29, 1870.

'anni (titille.

CHARLES BIRD. or AoKLEY, town.

Letters Patent No. 101,216, dated March 29, 1870.

IIVIPRQVEMENT IN' CULTIVATORS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same y To all whom tt may concern Be it known that I, CHARLEs Bun), of Ackley,

in the county of Hardin, and State of `Iowa, have invented new and useful Improvements in Oultivators; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the annexed drawings making part ot` this` specitication, in which- Figure 1 is avplan view.

lligure 2 is a front elevation.

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section on line a: x of tig. 2.

.The same letters are used in all the figures to designate identical parts.

My invention relates to cultivators for plowing among growing crops of corn and other grain planted in rows.

My improvements consist in the combination and arrangement ot some of the parts pertaining to such a machine, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

The frame of the machine, marked A in the drawings, is made of a rectangular form, consisting of two longitudinal beams upon each side, bolted to two transverse beams upon each end, as 'clearly shown in tig. 1.

To the front cross-beams the tongue A is fastened in theusual manner, and upon the rear vcross-beams the seat A2 is mounted, upon which the driver sits in operating the machine.

' At the proper points the axles B B are fastened tc the frame opposite each other, and journaled in the hubs ot the carrying-wheels C C, upon which the whole machine'is mounted. lhese axles extend inward to the inner longitudinal beams only, so as to leave a large open space in the frame to allow oi the free movement of the inner plows.

D D are two plow-beams, thc forward ends ot' which are pivoted to the front cross-beam of the frame, equidistant from the center line, and in as close proximity to the wheels vas may be found practicable. p

Each of these beams carries a standard, D1, upon its rear end, provided with 'a shovel, D2. lhe standards, being pivoted to the beams, are held in the proper position by the bars D3 D, which are hinged at one end to the beams forward of the standards, and conformed to receive thel screw-spindles El El.

' The bars E, which may be made square to prevent their turning, play freely up anddown in the apertures in the axles, s'o that, -by screwing them up or down on the screw-spindles El, which is done by turning such spindles by cranks E2 upon their upper ends, the depth at which the shovels D2 shall enter the ground can be regulated, it being understood that these plows are supported by such screw-spindles E2, resting upon the axles.

F F are the two short inner plow-beams, carrying standards F1 Fl upon their rear ends, said standards being provided with shovels F2 F2, and held in position by bars F F3 in the vsame manner as the standards D1, above described.

These plows are pivote'd,` at their forward ends, to the front cross-beam of the frame by universal joints ff, audconstitnte, together with the plows D D, two double-shovel plows, which cultivate a row of corn orl other crop upon both sides at the same time.

To accommodate the inner plows F to the sinuosity and width of the rows, they are hung upon their rear ends to pendants, in such a manner as to be capable ot' lateral movement and oi' being placed nearer to or fartherfrOm each other.

G G represent these pendants or swinging beams, to the lower ends of which the plows F hl are pivoted.

At their upper extremities they are hung to swiveling bolts g g, secured in the cross-head Gl. This cross-head spans the two screw-spindles E1 El, ou which it is placed, sliding freely up and down on the same. Its .posit-ion thereon is regulated by the nuts G2 2, so that the shovels F2 may be made to enter the ground any desirable depth independent of thel shovels D2.

For the purpose of regulating the distance between the inner plows F F, the swinging beams G are provided with projectiug arms Gr" G, opposite and over lapping each other, as shown in iig. 2, and having slots in such overlapping portions, through which the bolt passesv for securing these arms to each other. To change the distance between these inner plows, it is only necessary to `loosen this bolt and lengthen or shorten the lap of the arms G.

By tl1e-above-described arrangement of the inner plows, it will be seen that they can be moved laterally as the crookedness of the rows may make it necessary. This movement is given to them and regulated by the feetot' the driver through the following mech anism:

1I H represent two short horizontal shafts, hung respectively to the inner sides of the plow-beams D D. They are cranked at each end, such cranks sustaining about the position relatively to each other as shown in tlg. 2.

The forward cranks are connected, by chains HI H1, to the plow-standards F3 F, and to the rear cranks are hung the stirrup-irons HH, in which the feet of 1. The combination of the plows D, bars E, and the operator rest. Thus, by bearing down upon one screw-spindles E, cross-head G1, all arranged to operl or the other of these stirrup-irons, the plows can -be ate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.A moved laterally with little exertion. 2. The combination of the plows F, swinging beams I is a transvelse rock-shaft, having its bearings in` G, cross-head G, nuts G2, and screw-spindles E, all boxes secured to the frame. Its ends vproject a. short l arranged to operate substantiallyas and for the purdistance through such boxes, and are here provided set forth. with cranks Il Il, directly above the plow-bcams D D,- In testimony whereof l have signed my name to to which such cranks are connected by chains 'i t'. y .this specification in the presence of two subscribing Therock-shat lays in closeproximitytothe seat,and witnesses.

is provided With'a hand-lever, 12, by which it can be CHARLES BIRD.

turned so as to raise all the plows above the ground. Witnesses:

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Eet B. EDW. J. EILS, 

